Tenzin Talk With Toph
by yerachael
Summary: Lin feels inferior compared to her mother and the two best Earthbenders end up having some boy-talk. Written after watching Legend of Korra episode 6.


**Tenzin Talk With Toph**

Lin sat on her bed, thinking. It was her 12th birthday; she was the age her mother was when she assisted in the ending of the Hundred Year War. Lin felt like she was nothing compared to her mother, which she had been told repeatedly was not true.

Suddenly her mother, her idol, Toph, burst into the small bedroom, "Lin, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Mum."

"I could feel your heartbeat from the other side of the house, you're upset."

"No I'm not, I'm just thinking."

Toph frowned, glaring at her daughter with her blind eyes, "You are a good liar."

"I'm fine, Mum."

With an agitated sigh, Toph sat on the bed next to her daughter and wrapped an arm around her slim shoulders. She was frustrated, for nearly a week Lin had been acting distant towards her, which scared Toph greatly. Toph had never needed to see her daughter's face to understand her; they had a bond that was far deeper than physical recognition. Ever since Lin was a baby, Toph had been able to read her daughter like an open-book, ironically enough, so this recent change in Lin's behaviour had Toph fretting. "You have to tell me what's wrong."

This startled Lin, her mother was never one to ask people to let her in, she either didn't care and let it slide or figured things out for herself. Smiling slightly, Lin decided to not waste the one time her mother asked for information, "You'd already done so much at my age."

Toph snorted and pulled her daughter tighter against her side, "Is that seriously what this is about?"

"Yes," Lin winced as her mother squeezed her arm tightly, seeking more information, "I feel like I haven't done enough yet, like I'm not good enough."

"You're 12 and you're one of the best Earthbenders alive and definitely the best Metalbender, that is more than most children your age. Actually that's more than most people accomplish in their whole lives! Don't you dare go thinking that you're not good enough, Miss Sulky."

Lin giggled a little at her mother's fierce jump to Lin's defense, "Even if I have mastered Metalbending, you _created_ it Mum, I've had the best teacher."

"But it takes a certain person to learn it because yes, I invented it so I'm still one of the only teachers, I only have a limited amount of ways to teach it. Maybe one day someone will figure out different ways of teaching it, then more people can learn it. But even then Lin, you will still be the best Metalbender there is."

"But you _created_ it."

"But you put up with me enough to learn it, and you've found so many new uses for it!"

"OK fine, that's a good thing, but what else do I have to show for my 12 years?"

"All my friends love you and you've never lost a spar against any of their hybrid kids."

"That's it?"

"Well there's more, but I felt your heartbeat speed up when I mentioned the kids."

Lin looked away from her mother and cleared her throat awkwardly. Toph smiled warmly, something that she really only did for her daughter and occasionally her closest friends. "Something you want to tell me regarding the kids?"

"Well there is one thing that I've got to show, regarding them."

"Them?"

"Well, just one really."

"One kid."

"A crush."

"That's my girl!"

Toph wrapped her daughter in her arms, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Let me guess who it is!"

Lin smiled, usually her mother and herself never showed so much emotion, but if they ever were going to, it would be when they were together like this. "No cheating, you have to guess and use _intuition_ like a normal mum."

"Deal. OK, first I need to narrow it down. Easiest way to do that is with the parents. Is he related to Katara?"

"Yes."

"Is he Katara's and Aang's son?"

"Yes."

"Is it Bumi?"

"Ew, no!"

"Tenzin!"

Lin didn't reply, only blushed and smiled as he sides were crushed even more by her mother's increasingly tight embrace.

"Do you think anything could ever happen between us?"

"Maybe. I'm sure Katara would say that you're all still so young, but I say you do what you want, when you want. As long as you try not to hurt any of your friends, that is."

"I bet not many people can say they've had talks like this with the famous Blind Bandit, actually, Toph Beifong is probably more intimidating than the Blind Bandit."

"Probably."

"Maybe one day I'll tell Tenzin."

"Whenever you're ready, you might grow out of it yet, so yeah it's probably best to hold off a little while."

"Didn't stop any of your friends."

"Stopped me though, which is pretty good when you see who ended up with who. Remember, things will always work out how they should, but we can help it along by not doing anything stupid."

"Got it."

Toph winked and smiled, "Good choice Linny, I've heard he's cute."

"MUM!"


End file.
